Living with a chronic auto-immune disease like lupus can be difficult. Even though there is no complete cure for lupus, you can live with it by taking proper treatment and medications. First, you have to understand what lupus is and how to manage its symptoms. In this article, we explain some treatment options and medications for lupus. Let us understand lupus disease before moving to the treatment and medications.
What Is Lupus?
Lupus is a chronic immunity disorder that can affect many organs including the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. The Lupus Foundation of America has released the number of lupus patients in America and it is more than 1.5 million. Hair loss, fever, fatigue, skin rashes, and joint pain are common symptoms of lupus.
Let us now discuss the treatment options available for lupus disease.
Lupus Treatment Options
As we early mentioned, there is no complete cure for lupus disease. There are treatments for effectively managing the symptoms and flare-ups caused by lupus. The medications provided for suppressing the symptoms of lupus are corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, antimalarial drugs, etc. The type of lupus and the response of the body are the two major factors that determine the type of medication that is to be given to the patient.
Lifestyle changes also can help the medications to work effectively and reduce lupus symptoms. Leading an active lifestyle by exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy, etc can help you significantly reduce flare-ups and other symptoms. Some home remedy like turmeric is also used by some lupus patients to manage their symptoms.
Living with lupus is incredibly challenging but following your rheumatologist can highly help you to fight the symptoms and move on with your life.
Lupus Medications
The medications that are provided to lupus patients depend on their response to medicines and the type of lupus they have. Immunosuppressants, BLyS-specific inhibitors, corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and anti-malarial drugs are some of the common lupus medications. Medications are prescribed for managing flare-ups, preventing joint damage, keeping your hormonal balance, reducing pain and swelling, etc.
Common Side Effects Of Lupus Medications
The possible side effects associated with lupus medications are skin rashes, chest pain, joint pain, dizziness, vomiting, stomach pain, depression, etc. If you have severe side effects from consuming any lupus medicine, you should mention it to your doctor. Sometimes, allergic reactions and breathing difficulty are also experienced by people who consume lupus medications. You should immediately get medical attention if you are having allergic reactions or else it may become very complicated.
